Bottle crusher



1939- I P. QSPALEWICZ 2,142,915

BOTTLE CRUSHER Filed March 19', 1936 E Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Jan. 3,1939. P. OSPALEWICZ BOTTLE CRUSHER I; Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19,1936 1 J a Z i r L a um I wu W 9 7 3 w 7 w 0 4 4 1 a a 5 z J, W 2 1 2 J7 M J 2 4 j Z I M 3 m 7 a x f 7 a v J 7 m Km Patented Jan. 3, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 19,

3 Claims.

My invention relates generally to means for conveniently, safely, andefliciently crushing and breaking bottles such as empty liquorcontainers required by law to be destroyed, and an important object ofmy invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and easily operatedarrangement of this character.

Another important object of my invention is to provide an enclosure inwhich the bottle to be i 2) crushed is placed, the said enclosure havingan end door which must first be opened to enable introduction of thebottle or bottles, the said enclosure including a hammer for crushingthe bottle which is placed in inoperative position by l? operation ofthe door to an open position, and

which is released to operative crushing position by closing of the door;the said enclosure having a trap door bottom which automaticallyreleases the broken glass into a suitable hopper.

Gther important objects of my invention will be apparent from a readingof the following description in connection with the drawings, whereinfor purposes of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of myinvention,

In the drawings:-

Figure l is a bottom plan view of the embodiment showing the trap doorbottom of the enclosure.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through theembodiment and showing the same imposed on a hopper or receiver for thebroken glass.

Figure 3 is an elevational view taken to the left of Figure 2 andshowing the door in closed position.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the embodimentand showing the catch being in the holding position and the end door inan intermediate position beyond which it engages the catch so as torelease the trap doors.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designatesa suitable enclosure which may be generally rectangular in form and be aclosed box having the solid rear wall 6, the door opening equipped frontwall I, and the metallic shell 8 which is mounted between the walls 5and l and forms a top 9 having pendent sides as shown.

Pivotally mounted near the side edges of the end walls 6 and l asindicated by the numerals 9 and ill and ii and I2 at their laterallyoutward edges are the trap doors I3 and i4 whose meeting edges areslightly spaced as indicated by the numeral 55.

Swingable in the door opening H5 in the front 1936, Serial No. 69,706

end wall 3 is the door I! which has on its outer side a suitable openinghandle l8, and on its inner side near its top the trigger operating lugI!) which is adapted to extend through the opening 26 in the wall 1above the opening I6 for engaging the end of the trigger 2| which ispivotally supported as indicated by the numeral 22 on a bracket pendentfrom the top of the shell 8 and works in a guide 23 and has the end 24engageable with a portion 25 of the hammer arm 25 which carries thehammer head or crusher Z'i.

The hammer arm is a strong spring which is wound on a pivot 28 supportedbetween spaced brackets 29 attached to the back end wall 6 with theextremity of the spring fastened as indicated by the numeral 30 to a webextending between the brackets 29; in such an arrangement that when theleft hand end of the trigger 2| is moved downwardly by the lug E9 theopposite end of the trigger will be disengaged from the portion 25 ofthe hammer so as to permit the spring arm 26 to swing the hammerdownwardly in a violent manner so as to shatter a bottle which has beenplaced upon the trap doors within the enclosure.

A bracket 3i on the lower part of the door I! has pivotally connectedthereto as indicated by the numeral 32 the link 33 which has itsopposite end pivoted as indicated by the numeral 34 to the upper end ofa support link 35 and to the front end of a connecting link 36. Thesupporting link 35 is pivoted as indicated by the numeral 31 to a block38 on the side of the shell 8. The rear end of the link 36 is pivotallyconnected as indicated by the numeral 39 to a modified bell crank 49which has a lateral arm 4| disposed in front of the arm 26 of thehammer. The described links are properly proportioned as to length andpivotal arrangement relative to the door ll so that when the door ismoved from the closed position to the open position shown in Figure2,the arm M will press the hammer arm 25 rearwardly into the erectposition shown in Figure 2 wherein the trigger 2! can fall in front ofthe hammer projection 25 and hold the hammer ready for action uponsubsequent release of the trigger,

A lower lug [9' on the door H, as shown in Figure his adapted to enteran opening 20' in the front wall I to engage the upper end of the catch42 which is pivoted as indicated at 43 on the said front wall and hashooked lower ends 44 engageable with the adjacent end of the trap doorsI3 and I4. It is believed obvious that when the lug l9 enters theopening 2Q at a time after the lug I9 actuates the trigger 2|, it willpush the catch 42 so as todisengage the latch hook 44 from under thetrap doors I3 and I4 and permit the trap doors to fall gravitationallyto the position shown in Figure 3 to permit the broken glass to dropinto the hopper 45 upon the open and upper end of which the device ofthe invention may conveniently be disposed.

In order to maintain the lever-like catch 42 in the position shown inFigure 4 and return it to said position after gravitation of the doorsl3 and M, a spring (not shown) is interposed between the lower arm ofthe lever-like catch 42 and the adjacent end wall.

The lower edge of the door IT has depending lugs 46 which are positionedand arranged to engage under the trap doors l3 and [4 while the trapdoors are in their open position, so that the trap doors are clcsed ormoved to their elevated positions when the door I! is swung down to theopen position as clearly indicated in Figures 2 and 4.

The catch hook 44 is beveled, Figure 4, and consequently when the doorsl3 and M are raised as stated their ends will ride past the catch hook44 which will assume a position below the doors as illustrated in saidFigure 4.

A shield 41 supported across the upper part of the interior of theenclosure is disposed immediately below the trigger 2| to shield thetrigger from the broken glass as it flies upon being struck by thehammer 21.

Pegs 48 rising from the tops of the trap doors stop the bottle as it isthrown into the device in a proper position to be properly crushed bythe hammer.

It is to be observed that the linkage between the door and the hammer isarranged close to one side of the interior of the enclosure, as clearlyindicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, so as to give as much room aspossible for occupany by the bottle or bottles.

The latch hook 44 is carried at the end of an arm on the lower end ofthe catch 42 which is in the form of an upright lever, fulcrumed at 43and disposed adjacent to one side of the shell 8 as shown by dottedlines in Figure 3.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire tolimit the application of the invention thereto,

and any change or changes may be made in the materials, and in thestructure and arrangement of the parts, Within the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:-

l. A bottle crushing device of the character described, said devicecomprising an enclosure, a trap door floor on said enclosure, a springpressed hammer in said enclosure and arranged to operate to crush abottle placed on said floor, said hammer being arranged to be ininoperative tensioned position while said floor is closed, and means forsubstantially simultaneously releasing said hammer into operativeposition and opening said floor to discharge the fragments of thebottle, said means comprising a swingable door closing one end of saidenclosure, said door including elements engageable with the trap doorfloor for closing the same from an open position.

2. A bottle crushing device of the character described, said devicecomprising an enclosure, a trap door floor on said enclosure, a springpressed hammer in said enclosure and arranged to operate to crush abottle placed on said floor, said hammer being arranged to be ininoperative tensioned position while said floor is closed, and means forsubstantially simultaneously releasing said hammer into operativeposition and opening said floor to discharge the fragments of thebottle, said means comprising a swingable door closing one end of saidenclosure, said door including elements engageable with the trap doorfloor for holding the same closed while said door is in an openposition.

3. A bottle crusher comprising an enclosure, a trap door floorcomplementary to said enclosure, a spring-pressed hammer in saidenclosure and arranged to operate to crush a bottle placed on saidfloor, said hammer being arranged to be in inoperative tensionedposition while the floor is closed, means for releasing said hammer intooperative position, means for subsequently opening said floor todischarge fragments of bottles, the means for both of said purposesincluding a swinging projection equipped door, and the means for openingthe floor including a lever-like catch operable by a projection of saiddoor and having a catch hook adapted to assume a position below thefloor when closed, and means on the door for closing the floor when thedoor is opened.

PETER OSPALEWICZ.

